On any given day last month, an average of 4% of Americans said they were sick with the flu and 11.6% said they had a cold. That's the highest these figures have ever been since Gallup first starting keeping track back in 2008. »1/12/15 1:30pm 1/12/15 1:30pm

Today, humans suffer from a wide range of diseases and disorders that didn't exist in the past, a trend that will likely continue well into the future. Here are 10 unexpected and wholly unpleasant diseases we'll eventually have to contend with. »12/04/14 10:07am 12/04/14 10:07am

It's possible that HIV's ability to cause AIDS is slowing. A new paper from Oxford University suggests the disease is becoming less deadly and less infectious over time as it adapts to our immune system and therapies. »12/02/14 11:20am 12/02/14 11:20am

Though over 1 billion people suffer from them, they're called "neglected diseases." That's because they attract little public attention and research money. But these diseases are about to explode across the globe, which is why many doctors say the neglect needs to stop now.»11/20/14 11:12am 11/20/14 11:12am

Much of the media was in a tizzy yesterday about a respiratory virus that's currently making life miserable for people in the U.S. Midwest and elsewhere. Called Enterovirus EV-D68, it's a severe and uncommon bug, but it's not a mystery either. Here's what you need to know about the virus. »9/09/14 10:00am 9/09/14 10:00am

The 2014 West African Ebola Outbreak is now the largest and deadliest in history. But how far will it spread? Using the most recent data, a research team has created a computer simulation of its potential to reach around the globe, illustrating the urgency for containment. »9/04/14 1:40pm 9/04/14 1:40pm

This is the most cynical, horrifying thing I've heard in ages. PETA has restarted a campaign to try and pretend there's some link between "autism and dairy products," in an attempt to scare people into going Vegan. Update: We have a response from PETA.»5/28/14 2:35pm 5/28/14 2:35pm

Though it was responsible for tens of millions of European deaths in the mid 14th century, the Medieval Black Death left a surprisingly positive consequence in its wake. According to a new study, surviving generations lived longer and had better health than ever before. »5/08/14 6:00pm 5/08/14 6:00pm

Over the past several weeks and months, we've seen a startling number of disease outbreaks pop up around the globe. It's a trend that's not completely surprising — one that could characterize the coming decades as the Age of Epidemics. Here are some of the scariest new diseases you need to know about. »5/07/14 12:01pm 5/07/14 12:01pm

Vaccines are something most of us take for granted, but as these maps compiled by the Council on Foreign Relations show, we're still a long way from ensuring everyone's safe from some of the world's most dreaded — and preventable — diseases. »1/21/14 7:20am 1/21/14 7:20am

The vacuous anti-vaccine movement should take notice of what's going on in Syria. After less than three years of civil war, polio is on the rise — a stark reminder of what happens when societies collapse. »11/07/13 8:40am 11/07/13 8:40am

For the first time in over 40 years, scientists have discovered a new form of the toxin responsible for botulism. But they’re keeping many of the details about it a secret for fear that it could be turned into a deadly bioweapon — prompting some scientists to warn that this action can only hold further research back. »10/11/13 11:20am 10/11/13 11:20am

Sometimes, it's easy to feel like you're losing your grip on reality — especially when everybody else around you is losing theirs, as well. History is full of weird incidents of mass hysteria, where insanity from person to person, or took over a whole community at once. Here are the most uncanny incidents of shared… »6/21/13 3:05pm 6/21/13 3:05pm

At this point the glut of novels about a young person growing up in a fearsome dystopia has become kind of insane, especially as the dystopias have gotten more and more far-fetched. So it's refreshing to read a novel like Jane Rogers' Testament of Jessie Lamb, where the dark future involves actual science. And real… »5/23/13 4:43pm 5/23/13 4:43pm

File this away under things you didn't want to know first thing Monday morning: a reportedly "shocking" quantity of bushmeat — including rat, goat and sheep meat — is being sold to the public illegally in east London marketplaces. »9/17/12 8:15am 9/17/12 8:15am

Almost any disease will spend some time in your body before making you ill, summoning its forces or just lying in wait. But some maladies are even more patient than that. »7/27/12 12:12pm 7/27/12 12:12pm